


captain to captain

by joshllyman



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-03-24
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:28:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23300098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joshllyman/pseuds/joshllyman
Summary: The cool, androgynous voice of the GPS tells him to turn right at the next corner, and he obeys it, slipping his phone out of his pocket to skip the next song on his playlist. And while he’s there, there’s a text from Suga he should probably answer, and the Karasuno group chat has thirty-five new messages which is rarely a good sign, and—“Captain!”Daichi stops, surprised, and pulls a headphone out of his ear.It takes him a moment to place the face of the kid approaching him, especially since he’s in sweats and a bright yellow muscle tank and not a uniform—volleyball, tournament, Johzenji, captain, Terushima!—and in that moment Terushima has pulled out his own headphones and shoved his hands in his pockets.“Sorry,” he says, a little sheepish. “I, uh, don’t think I caught your name at the tournament.”
Relationships: Sawamura Daichi & Terushima Yuuji
Comments: 8
Kudos: 41





	captain to captain

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Stylin_Breeze](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stylin_Breeze/gifts).



The music in Daichi’s ears pumps a steady rhythm through his bloodstream, one that’s matched by his footfall on the pavement. It’s easier, like this, to forget that Nationals are only days away and no amount of preparation will ever really make him feel like he’s  _ ready _ . It’s better than laying at his bed staring at the ceiling, reviewing plays over and over in his head. It’s better than continuing to pore over the binder that Ukai had prepared for him. It’s better than nothing.

He’d chosen a different route today, carefully mapped it out on his phone before he’d left home, so that his brain could engage in fresh scenery. Anything to keep his mind off the inevitable. 

The cool, androgynous voice of the GPS tells him to turn right at the next corner, and he obeys it, slipping his phone out of his pocket to skip the next song on his playlist. And while he’s there, there’s a text from Suga he should probably answer, and the Karasuno group chat has thirty-five new messages which is rarely a good sign, and—

“Captain!” 

Daichi stops, surprised, and pulls a headphone out of his ear. 

It takes him a moment to place the face of the kid approaching him, especially since he’s in sweats and a bright yellow muscle tank and not a uniform— _ volleyball, tournament, Johzenji, captain, Terushima! _ —and in that moment Terushima has pulled out his own headphones and shoved his hands in his pockets. 

“Sorry,” he says, a little sheepish. “I, uh, don’t think I caught your name at the tournament.”

“Sawamura,” Daichi says. He pulls out his other headphone and offers Terushima a hand. “Sawamura Daichi.”

Terushima shakes it gladly. “Terushima Yuuji. So you guys really took it all the way, huh? Beat Shiratorizawa and everything.”

Daichi feels a little thrill of pride surge through him. “We did.”

“Congratulations,” Terushima says. “That’s gotta feel really good.”

“It was a team effort,” Daichi answers. He thinks of each of his teammates in turn, how everyone contributed to their win, whether on the court or the sidelines. He smiles. “We worked hard to get where we are.”

“That’s...kind of why I stopped you,” Terushima admits. He runs a hand through his hair. “Sorry about that, by the way.”

“No worries,” Daichi says, waving a hand. “I was out of breath anyway.”

Terushima takes a deep breath. “Your team really looks up to you. Watching you guys play, I could tell how much they depended on you.”

Daichi nods slowly, not sure where this is going. “Thank you.”

“That’s cool,” Terushima says. “Like, really cool. How did you do that?”

“How did I get my team to depend on me?” Daichi clarifies.

“Yeah!” Terushima answers, smiling enthusiastically. “As a captain and like, as a person.”

“That’s...a good question,” Daichi says thoughtfully. “I wasn’t trying to be like that, exactly. I think it’s just the way I was raised.”

Terushima’s face falls. “Oh.” Daichi’s heart goes out to Terushima as he scuffs his feet on the ground. “Thanks, anyway.”

Daichi shakes his head. “Is there a coffee shop around here? I’m not from this part of town.”

“Couple blocks that way,” Terushima offers.

“Come on, then,” Daichi says, and he heads off in the direction Terushima’s pointing.

It takes Terushima a moment to catch up, his feet stumbling after Daichi once he’s deciphered the meaning of his words. “Why are we going to a coffee shop?” he asks, a little breathless.

“We’re gonna talk,” Daichi says. “Captain to captain.”

Terushima reddens slightly, and he falls silent as they make their way toward their destination. Daichi’s glad he grabbed his bank card at the last minute, having waffled back and forth on whether to bring it with him. 

“It was a little different at Karasuno,” Daichi says as they near the shop. “For a time we didn’t have a coach at all, so I had more shoes to fill than just my own.”

“And just the two legs,” Terushima answers. “Impressive as they may be.”

Daichi laughs. “Thanks. Don’t skip leg day.”

They reach the coffee shop and head inside. Terushima orders something with an obscene amount of whipped cream; Daichi orders his usual matcha latte, and they head to a tiny table in the corner where their knees knock together.

“So the thing about being captain,” Daichi begins after a long sip of his latte. “Is that it’s not about being the best player. It’s not about being the star. It’s about being the most reliable player on your team.”

“On the court or off?” Terushima asks.

“Both,” Daichi answers. “You have to be willing to go above and beyond, you know? You have to be the first one at practice and the last one to leave. To push everyone that one extra lap, to go over the plays one more time.”

“Sounds exhausting,” Terushima says.

Daichi shrugs. “It can be. But it’s worth it.”

“I can see that,” Terushima says. He sticks two fingers into his drink and licks the whipped cream off of them, a thoughtful look on his face. “I was chosen as captain because no one else wanted the responsibility. I thought it would be cool, you know? Captain Terushima or whatever. But then the tournament came and I realized I hadn’t really done anything as ‘captain’ to get us ready. Even Misaki-chan was more captain-like than me. She’s the one who got our heads out of our asses.”

Daichi laughs. “Our manager is good for that, too.”

“I feel like I’ve just been wasting our time, you know?” Terushima says. He takes a long drink, utilizing his straw this time. “We haven’t been getting ready for tournaments at all, and now we’re only a few months away from the next one.”

“You’ve got time,” Daichi assures him. “I know it can feel like you’re constantly fighting the clock, but if you’re doing things right, it’ll be enough in the end.”

Terushima nods and uses his tongue to lick out some more whipped cream. Daichi has to fight back his laugh. “Thanks for talking with me, Sawamura-san. You didn’t have to help but you did. That’s cool.”

“Hey, no problem, and feel free to just call me Daichi,” Daichi says. “But you have to tell me something in return.”

Terushima narrows his eyes. “What’s up?”

Daichi smiles. “Tell me more about those two-on-two matches.”

**Author's Note:**

> thanks forever to my team  
> socials/carrd in profile


End file.
